The goal of the “Top 1%er” interview series is to break down the qualities of people who excel and to show that you can be successful and achieve personal greatness from any starting point in your life. The interview series looks at people from all different careers and industries. Some names will be familiar and others may not. The purpose is to understand and borrow from the “best practices” of winners to develop a roadmap to your TOP 1%. We will share a new story each month.

This week’s guest is Evan Bailyn. Evan is an internet entrepreneur, bestselling author, and child advocate. He is primarily known as a search engine optimization expert, having used his ability to rank at the top of Google to build and sell five businesses, including one of the largest children’s websites online. His first book, Outsmarting Google, debuted to amazing reviews in mid-2011. Its sequel, Outsmarting Social Media, comes out in early 2012. Evan has been interviewed on ABC and Fox News and featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He is a frequent speaker, having keynoted numerous social media conferences, including Digital Hollywood and Social Media For Nonprofits. In 2010, he established The Evan Bailyn Foundation, which awards grants to groups that promote emotional awareness in children. In short, Evan is a social media genius and incredibly good person who cares and wants to make a difference in the world.

Alissa Finerman: What’s the most important strength you possess that allows you to be successful in your role?Evan Bailyn: An inspired optimism, and the complementary ability to ignore negative voices and distractions in order to focus on getting things done.

AF: What inspired you to start on your current path?EB: The truth is that a fear of failure is what drove me to be successful as an entrepreneur. I wanted to do something that was my own, that nobody could control or take away from me. I believed that if I put everything I had into it, it had to succeed, and it turns out I made the correct bet. When you believe in yourself, it is easy to bet on yourself, and you often come out ahead (though not always). But the times when I failed worried me so much that I just worked harder than the next guy to correct my errors and succeed next time.

AF: How do you define success?EB: Success is feeling comfortable each day being you and, simultaneously, preparing for a time beyond yourself by contributing energy to something that will outlast your time here on earth.

AF: What motivates you on a daily basis to keep going?EB: A love of life and people and a desire to experience my emotions fully and connect with others purely.

AF: What role do goals play in your life? Tell us a few words about your goal setting process.EB: I don’t do anything formal with regards to goal setting. Instead, I think of things that excite me and allow that excitement to evolve into a real thing.

AF: What’s the toughest challenge you successfully overcame?EB: When I was younger, I had trouble being myself – I was focused on pleasing others and being a good kid. I was essentially untrue to who I was. Through a huge amount of self-reflection, writing, and conversation, I eventually found my way.

AF: What are some of your most meaningful accomplishments?EB: My best accomplishments are being comfortable with who I am and my relationships with people I love and respect. The creation of the Evan Bailyn Foundation is one of my greatest accomplishments as well. I am also proud that I have authored 2 books, built a successful speaking career, and started one of the largest children’s websites online.

AF: What do the top performers do differently to excel?EB: They care, and they know how to get things done.

I love inspiring articles about leaders who persevere in challenging times and inspire others along their way to redefine new levels of success. This blog post is a resource to share interesting articles.

Success Magazine shares the power of rituals and energizing yourself for successBe inspired

The CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, discusses the 5 skills important for every CEO to beBe inspired

Peter Cappelli, Wharton professor, discusses if leaders are born or made.Be inspired

About Alissa

Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook